Successful Coaching in Leadership: Seven Lessons from the ‘Trillion Dollar Coach’

, , , , , , , , , ,

Bill Campbell was once described as the “Silicon Valley’s best kept secret” by Fortune.

Bill was a former American Football Coach who became so influential that he worked regularly coaching Steve Jobs and the founders of Google.

The ‘Trillion Dollar Coach’ is written by former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, Former Snr Vice President of Google Jonathan Rosenberg, and Director of Google Alan Eagle.

All three of the authors have worked with Bill Campbell throughout their careers and time working at Google and describe the impact the Bill had on the company by saying:

“We can say, without a doubt, that Bill Campbell was one of the people most integral to Google’s success. Without him, the company would not be where it is today.”

Here are 7 lessons that I have taken from the book and from Bill Campbell’s leadership and coaching skills.

1. The difference between a mentor and a coach

“Whereas mentors dole out words of wisdom, coaches roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. They don’t just believe in our potential; they get in the arena to help us realize our potential.”

2. The power of listening and being honest

“Scholars would describe Bill’s approach-listening, providing honest feedback, demanding candour as “relational trans-parency,” which is a core characteristic of “authentic leadership.”

3. Solving problems as a team

“His first instinct was always to work the team, not the problem. In other words, he focused on the team’s dynamics, not on trying to solve the team’s particular challenges. That was their job. His job was team building, assessing people’s talents, and finding the doers.”

4. Working towards shared goals

“There is another, equally critical, factor for success in companies: teams that act as communities, integrating interests and putting aside differences to be individually and collectively obsessed with what’s good for the company.”

5. Telling stories to pass on information

“Bill coached me to tell stories. When people understand the story they can connect to it and figure out what to do. You need to get people to buy in.“

6. Invest in making people better

“Most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how they are going to make someone else better. But that’s what coaches do.”

7. Human connection creates empathy

“Bill’s approach was to make the human connection first, then approach the work with that understanding.”

Throughout the book, i turned every page waiting to read the moment that describes the skill that Bill Campbell had that made him so unique.

But it never happened.

The truth is, that the majority of the things that Bill did were basic skills that we can all do; listening, building strong teams, creating communities within teams, telling stories for impact, taking time to make people better and connecting with people on a human level.

The final lesson that I took from the book was:

“Being a good coach is essential to being a good manager and leader. Coaching is no longer a specialty; you cannot be a good manager without being a good coach.”

I’ve dipped in and out of this book for years and noted pages and pages of quotes that I regularly reference back to when working with clients.

Pat Nevin – “You have to know that underneath the person really cares…”

, , , , ,

In my latest recording with Pat Nevin we discussed the different management styles that he has encountered throughout his career through playing, working as CEO at Motherwell FC and his time in the media.

Pat describes one of his first football coaches that he had when he was 16 years old who nearly made him give up on the game.

He explains that this coach “made my life an absolute misery” through his ‘old school’ coaching style which involved shouting and balling at a very young Pat Nevin.

So you can imagine Pat’s surprise at the end of the season, at the Player of the Year awards for his boys club, it was Pat who scooped the main ‘Player of the Year’ prize as picked by his coach.

Recognising Pat’s confusion, the coach explained to him the he believed that Pat was going to go on and have a phenomenal career in football.

He explained that he only shouts at the good players and that there’s no point in shouting at the players who can’t play.

“You are going to come across some people who are going to shout and scream and make your life misery, and you will cope with everything because of what I’ve just put you through. And that’s why I did it.”

Pat reflects on moments when he did encounter those people his youth coached had prepared him for, including the late great Scotland and Celtic manager Jock Stein, and Pat recalls that “it was water off a duck’s back”.

It’s important to point out here that Pat is very quick to highlight that this particular style of coaching and leading is very ‘old school’ and for some people this method will not work.

It was a method of its time back then.

There won’t be many books, papers or manuals written where this particular method is recommended in any form of coaching, particularly with younger adults or children.

But this helped Pat and he’s still extremely grateful for that coaching.

He goes on to discuss that when a player, athlete or person knows that despite the different styles people adopt, as long as they know that there is care and concern for their welfare at the centre of every interaction, then that is what makes the difference between being hard on someone for positive results and being hard on someone for the sake of it.

From here, we moved the conversation on to the importance of managers, coaches and leaders fully understanding the people they are working with as individuals in order to get communicate with them and get the best results.

You can hear the full episode here – https://pod.fo/e/21cbb8

Watch the episode and others on YouTube – https://youtu.be/7CQ59E4pFnc?si=0QD5XgJtLQv8DX-i

Feedback: Put the sh*t sandwich in the bin 🚮

, , , , ,

Having worked in the training, learning and development industry for nearly 10 years, I have been in plenty of positions where I need to tell someone something that I don’t think they’re going to want to hear. It can be uncomfortable, it can feel awkward and sometimes, you don’t know how the person will react.

The old school tried and tested way of doing this is commonly known as ‘the shit sandwich’. This is when you tell the person something good, give them the ‘negative feedback’ bit and then finish off by telling them something good again.

While there are numerous ways to offer feedback, the conventional “good-bad-good” approach is not necessarily ineffective. However, I have concerns that this method may be too simplistic and can lead to feedback losing its significance and intended impact. It is crucial to avoid the temptation of relying solely on this approach and ensure that feedback is always thoughtful and purposeful.

Feedback is fuel

It is widely recognised that feedback is crucial in all areas of performance, be it professional or personal. Whether it applies to work, sports, or any task, feedback is instrumental in identifying areas of improvement and enhancing overall performance.

However, providing feedback can be a daunting task. This is why we tend to delay it and reserve it for specific occasions, such as annual or quarterly appraisals and performance reviews. Unfortunately, both the giver and the recipient of feedback often dread these meetings. The giver may struggle with how to deliver the feedback constructively, while the recipient may feel anxious about the impending conversation and may already be planning their response.

Feedback should be continuous. In my recent post about the transformation of culture at Toulouse FC, the staff within the organisation requested more feedback to create an environment where they were allowed to fail. They didn’t want to hear feedback when it was too late to act upon it. In their book ‘Trillion Dollar Coach – The leadership playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell’ Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg and Alan Eagle discuss the legendary Bill Campbell’s approach to giving feedback;

“An important component of providing candid feedback is not to wait ‘A coach coaches in the moment,’ Scott Cook says. ‘It’s more real and more authentic, but so many leaders shy away from that.’ Many managers wait until performance reviews to provide feedback, which is often too little, too late. Bill’s feedback was in the moment (or very close to it), task specific and always followed by a grin and a hug, all of which helped remove the sting.” 

It’s important to note the last bit about removing the ‘sting’ of feedback. People will respond to feedback in different ways, and it can be painful to receive. Especially if the feedback has been candid and to the point.

Feedback vs Criticism

One thing that bothers me is when people mask criticism as “constructive” feedback. While the intention behind such criticism may be well-meaning, it may not necessarily be constructive for the person on the receiving end. At the end of the day, criticism is still criticism. In his book “Coaching for Performance,” Sir John Whitmore highlights that excessive criticism can lead to damaged relationships. Criticism is a negative way of communicating and hinders the learning process.

When we are too quick to criticise, we inadvertently create a culture of blame, fear, and judgment. People feel threatened when subjected to criticism, which can lead to conflicts. In a blame culture, individuals may hesitate to use their own initiative to improve, while judgment can stifle creativity. Labeling criticism as “constructive” does not change the underlying negative connotation associated with it. Whether criticism is constructive or not, it can still evoke a defensive reaction in individuals.

In the book “Trillion Dollar Coach,” a key takeaway was Bill Campbell’s ability to provide direct and honest feedback to his teams and individuals. This was made possible because he had fostered a safe and comfortable environment for feedback. Campbell took the time to build personal relationships with the people he coached and worked with. This allowed him to know what he could say and how individuals would respond to his feedback. Under his leadership, teams developed a culture of openness and continuous feedback. They were able to provide feedback to one another and critically analyse their own performances.

Psychological Safety

Prior to delivering feedback, it is important to ensure that the environment is conducive to receiving it. This could mean providing feedback privately or in front of peers, depending on the situation. Being aware of the individual or group dynamics is crucial in determining how feedback should be given and how it might be received.

Establishing a culture where feedback is a regular part of team interactions, rather than just in response to mistakes or performance reviews, can have a significant impact on individual and group performance. By fostering a psychologically safe environment, team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, admitting mistakes, and taking risks. This is essential for learning and development, as it allows individuals to give and receive feedback without fear of criticism. Such an environment encourages open and honest feedback on individual performance, leading to continuous improvement.

High performing teams are full of continual feedback, peer to peer feedback and openness on their own feedback. One of the key tools that I am now using is the ‘PPCo feedback and evaluation tool’.

  • Pluses 
  • Potential 
  • Concerns
  • Overcome concerns 

This technique originates back to the early 1980’s and is credited to Diane Foucar-Szocki, Bill Shephard and Roger Firestein. 

A feedback technique that can leave individuals feeling motivated and clear on what they need to do is to identify the positives, explore potential areas for growth, collaborate on concerns, and focus on ways to overcome those concerns. It is recommended that individuals use this technique when evaluating their own performance as well.

In time and with the right environment, individuals can lead their own feedback process using this technique. They can start by identifying the positives and potential, and then assessing their concerns about their performance. This encourages self-reflection and critical thinking, as they may uncover concerns that the feedback giver did not notice. Collaborating on ways to overcome concerns can also be a beneficial process. While the feedback giver can provide direct instructions based on their experience and knowledge, it’s essential to prioritise input from both parties. By allowing the performer to establish their own solutions, they can take ownership of the feedback and feel more motivated to improve.

To ensure effective feedback is received and acted upon, the environment in which it is given must be taken into consideration. Cultivating a safe and supportive culture where individuals are encouraged to express mistakes, take risks, and be creative leads to higher performance. Continuous open and honest feedback is essential in such an environment. Criticism, on the other hand, can hinder learning and development, making it crucial to prioritise building a feedback-normalised environment instead of resorting to techniques like the “shit sandwich.”

Podcast Review: The Training Ground Guru | Damien Comolli: From Tou-lose to Tou-win

, , , , , , ,

In 2020, Toulouse were bought over by RedBird Capital while they were languishing in the second tier of the French Football leagues. They brought in Damien Comolli and appointed him Chairman and Sporting Director.

Damien’s previous roles included Director of Football at Tottenham, Liverpool, Fenerbache and St Etienne.

In this interview, the host of The Training Ground Guru – Simon Austin dives into the challenges Damien faced coming into a football club and what he had to do to turn the club around. They discuss the importance and massive use of data, how Toulouse have changed the traditional structure of a football club and the huge work that Damien and his team did surrounding culture and identity.

The big takeaway for me and the reason I wanted to write about this podcast episode was the discussion on culture and strategy. This was put at the top of the priority list by Damien in order to create the best environment for success at Toulouse FC.

What is the culture, identity and DNA?

Damien spent weeks meeting and speaking to as many people as he could to find out exactly what the culture and DNA of Toulouse FC was. Meetings with current and former players, staff, volunteers, fan groups and local politicians. He wanted to know about the relationship between the club and the city. He even went to lengths to find out the sociology of the supporter and the people who lived in the surrounding areas to get as clear a picture as possible what the club meant to the people of Toulouse.

 

 

It became clear that the club was completely isolated in the city and the relationship was disjointed. Largely due to a lack of communication and engagement.

The first step Toulouse FC took was to reach out to supporters groups and even non-supporters within the city. They discovered that Toulouse has a large population of students, so they met with the largest student unions and asked one straightforward question: “What do you want us to do for you to come to the stadium?”

Tou-lose to Tou-win

He began his mission by reaching out to people who worked, had worked, or volunteered with the club. By asking this one question; “What does this football club mean to you?”. The answer was a play on words – ‘Tou-lose.’

This simple insight became the catalyst for the club’s rebranding efforts. Damien knew that to make the club more appealing to fans and the wider community, he had to tap into what Toulouse meant to them. By asking a simple question and listening to the answers, Damien was able to uncover a unique insight that became the foundation for the club’s new identity. The next challenge was to change ‘Tou-lose’ to ‘Tou-win’.

What stood out about Damien’s approach was that he recognised that he couldn’t simply implement the culture he or RedBird Capital wanted at the club. He knew that to create a winning culture, the staff had to be empowered to drive change. The key to success, he realised, was to create working groups that each had their own topics to work on.

The message was clear: “We are here, how do you think we get to where we all want to be?” By allowing the staff to take ownership of the changes they wanted to see, Damien and his team were able to create a culture that was both sustainable and successful.

They needed to create an environment where everyone felt safe to take risks and try new things. To achieve this, they reached out to their staff to ask what they wanted in terms of feedback and performance management.

The club recognised that in order to achieve success, they needed to put culture and identity at the forefront of everything they did. This meant selecting managers and coaches based on how they would fit with the club’s playing style and culture, and screening players before signing to ensure they were a good fit for the team.

In addition, the club provided full inductions on the culture of the club to all new players, ensuring that everyone was on the same page from day one. This allowed the team to work together more cohesively, with everyone fully committed to the club’s values and goals.

But it wasn’t just the playing staff that were expected to embrace the culture of the club. Non-playing staff and volunteers were also expected to work within the culture that was set and owned by everyone. This created a sense of ownership and unity across the entire football club.

“It is the staff’s responsibility to safeguard the club’s culture and identity”

Culture breeds success

This new approach wasn’t an instant success, but it did pay off in the long run. After missing out on promotion in controversial circumstances in the 2020/21 season play-offs, Toulouse FC won League 2 in record-breaking style, scoring the most goals ever scored in the league, having the top passers and goalscorer in the league, and six players nominated in the Team of the Year. These impressive achievements were not just down to individual talent, but to the team’s commitment to their culture and identity.

Damien Comolli is quick to point out that this is still very much a ‘work in progress’ project when it comes to the culture at Toulouse. And he spends a lot of time in this interview discussing the importance of data and how they have transformed their use of data in all aspects of the football club. He talks about his time as Director of Football in the UK and how the culture in the UK at the time wasn’t ready for this role. He is also very open about times where he hasn’t had success and been through harder times and what he did to get back on track.

I found this interview fascinating. So many groups and organisations can learn from the Toulouse FC model of making culture and identity one of the top  strategic goals for success. By engaging and communicating with the local fan groups and communities within the city, Toulouse have created a synced purpose and identity for the club and the fans. Internally, the culture was set and is owned by the staff. They have created a space that allows them to be adventurous and not be scared to fail. Players at all levels and ages buy-in to the clubs ethos, DNA and culture and success is clear to see.

After this interview with The Training Ground Guru, I will be keeping a much closer eye on Toulouse FC from now on.

Listen on Apple 

Listen on Spotify

 

Coaching or Mentoring – What’s the difference 🤷‍♂️ ?

, , , , , ,

I’ve been working through the ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching Qualification.

One of the tasks involved in gaining the qualification is to complete a written project answering a series of questions using personal experiences and knowledge of coaching at an executive level.

The first question is: Critically compare the strategic purposes of coaching and mentoring at an executive or senior level.

A lot of people make the same mistake by thinking that coaching and mentoring are the same thing. They are not. It’s common for people to confuse executive coaching styles and techniques with those of sports and/or fitness coaching. A sports coach will give instruction to a performer; a tennis coach will often tell a player to do a certain movement or how to react to a specific situation.

Executive coaching is about building relationships, communication and discovery rather than being taught or told. Sir John Whitmore describes coaching in his book Coaching for Performance as “Unlocking people’s potential to maximise their own performance”. And believes that coaching is less about instruction and more about guided discovery.

Mentoring on the other hand is when someone advises, guides and/or teaches someone. This is done through the mentor passing on advice through their own experiences and knowledge to a protege or the ‘mentee’.

It’s easy to think that in order to be a successful executive coach, the person coaching should have the relevant experience and knowledge of the job and tasks involved. This is actually not necessarily true; if an executive coach has knowledge and experience in the area that they are coaching in, then there is the danger of the coach imparting their knowledge and telling the person/people they are coaching what to do. This could potentially block the discovery process and move into the teacher/trainer/mentor role. Whitmore backs this theory up; “..mentoring is very different to coaching, because coaching is not dependent on a more experienced person passing down their knowledge – in fact, this undermines the building of self-belief which creates sustained performance..”

Coaching is more about facilitating the process for the individual or the group. The famous former American Football coach who became known as The Trillion Dollar Coach and worked with Apple and Google Execs would often say “Coach the team, not the problem”. Even if he had the answers for what he thought was the best way to solve the problem, he would rather use coaching techniques with his team of execs to guide them to the solution.

This doesn’t mean there is no requirement for mentoring. Far from it. If there is someone in any organisation with a wealth of experience and knowledge, then they should be used in a way to pass it on to people who might be in need of it. A mentor is hugely valuable in leadership roles. This is vital in the learning and development process for any organisation. It can’t be expected that a less experienced executive is left alone to gain experience and understanding with no guidance from someone who can help by imparting their own knowledge.

So is there a place for coaching and mentoring in the workplace?

Carol Wilson explains it perfectly in her book Performance Coaching; “An effective leader is able to move smoothly between directive and non-directive management, serving his or her subordinates sometimes as a coach and sometimes as a mentor, and where necessary giving orders.”

A leader needs to be able to switch between coach and mentor continuously. Understanding when a learning moment requires the non-directive guidance to allow the individual or team the space to discover the answers on their own. And when their own knowledge and experience will be valuable to pass down. A good leader develops people to their best potential and doesn’t hold people back. Once a mentor has passed on all of their wisdom, they can become an anchor and end up holding individuals and teams back. When a leader uses a mixture of coaching and mentoring, they give the individuals and groups the chance to gain even more knowledge which grows the individual or groups potential.

“Good coaching and leading, and good mentoring for that matter, can and should take the coachee beyond the limitations of the coach, leader, or mentor’s own knowledge.” – Sir John Whitmore Coaching for Performance

The main differences are that coaching is all about non-directive communication and guided discovery. Getting the ‘coachee’ to solve their own problems through creating self-belief and not depending on being given the answers. It can be personal and doesn’t necessarily require an expert in the subject area to be a coach. In fact, the opposite could be better.

Mentoring is someone with more knowledge and experience passing on their wisdom and directing the ‘mentee’ on what they think they should do to improve their performance. This is very helpful for learning development and can be tailored for the individual by using a mentor with the specific expertise. However, this can cause a dependency from the individual to the mentor. And once the mentor has passed on all of their knowledge and wisdom, this could hold the mentee back.

Learning to use non-directive coaching techniques can help individuals, teams and organisations grow. The more coaching skills that a leader can gain and use, the better chance they have of creating a successful environment where everyone can maximise their performance.

 

 

Visualise – Catastrophise – Energise | Prof Damien Hughes TEDx Talk on Finding your Courage

, , , , , , , ,

Professor Damien Hughes has written and spoken about high performance in business and sport. He has written books and is co-host with Jame Humphry on one of the top podcasts in the UK – The High Performance Podcast. 

In his recent TEDx Talk in Manchester – How Peak Performers Find the Path to Courage – he talks about the challenges we face when it comes to making change. This can be as individuals but also applied to organisations and teams.

There are loads of examples of people who have gone against the grain and challenged the perception of how something can be done differently. And all of them will have gone through Arthur Schopenhauer’s ‘Three Stages of a Known Truth’: 

  1. Ridicule 
  2. Violently opposed 
  3. Accepted as self-evident

In his talk, Hughes uses a real life ‘hare and the tortoise story’ from the first ever ultra marathon in Australia. When the 61 year old Cliff Young turned up to enter the 875km race in his farming overalls and boots no one believed he would genuinely attempt to start the race. When the race started and the athletes all ran past him, it was clear that Cliff had his own unique shuffle style of running.

Needless to say, from his appearance, age and running style; Cliff Young was ridiculed by everyone involved in the event. But when Cliff decided not to take a break and carry on shuffling through the night while the other athletes were resting, he gradually built up a lead on them and went on to win the first ever Australian Ultra Marathon.

This was when Cliff Young’s approach was violently opposed and questioned. ‘He must have cheated’ they all thought. It was standard practice for ultra marathon athletes to stop for a 6 hour rest. But Cliff hadn’t bothered. As it turns out, there was nothing in the rules about rest times for the runners. It had just become a standard practice that everyone conformed to.

So it was no surprise 12 months later at the same race, when the majority of the race entrants had adopted the same Cliff Young shuffle running style. It had finally become accepted as self-evident.

The moral of this story isn’t the same as the ‘Hare and the Tortoise’ tale. It isn’t about chipping away at something slowly and steadily like the tortoise did. It isn’t about being humble which was the lesson for the hare. It’s about courage and having the bravery to stand out from the crowd to challenge the perceptions of others and keep going with it, even when you’re being ridiculed and opposed.

“Dead fish go with the flow”

We all like to think we can stand out from the crowd and walk our own paths. But how easy is it to do that? How strong do you have to be when faced with the challenges of doing something a different way?

For all the people who had the courage to do something differently and challenge the perceptions of the others around them, how many people didn’t? And how many ideas have been lost to the buckling of peer pressure or the fear of what others might think?

“It’s presence doesn’t always guarantee success, but it’s absence almost makes success impossible”  – Courage

Allodoxaphobia – the fear of other people’s opinions – is the second highest phobia in the UK. It’s safe to say we all suffer from this at different points in our lives. Social anxiety and a fear of being judged can seriously damage our confidence and prevent us from standing out from the crowd.

We need that feeling of belonging and we don’t want to be rejected. This is why social conformity is often the easiest option. But do we want to just be ‘dead fish’ going with the flow? Or do we want to stand out and follow the path that we believe in, even if it goes against the grain?

To help with overcoming these fears and anxieties, Damien Hughes discusses processes that are used with professional athletes and high performers to keep them on the right track.

Visualise

Visualisation helps us all literally paint a picture in our minds. There is more and more scientific evidence that suggests visualising specific activities or scenarios can activate the same neural pathways in the brain as actually performing those activities or experiencing those scenarios.

Catastrophise

We often stay away from the ‘what if’ questions. No one likes being brought down to reality when someone starts trying to pick holes in our plans. But we need to be prepared for all eventualities. What if the plan doesn’t work out like we thought? How will we react if something does go wrong?

Creating these pre-mortems and asking ourselves what could or can go wrong, will ultimately help prepare us for hurdles we might have to face. By adding catastrophising with the visualisation, our courage can increase by up to 32%. It builds resilience for if/when something does go wrong.

Damien Hughes talks about writing a ‘Zander Letter’ which is a letter to yourself written as if it is 12 months in the future. In this letter you write about how you have achieved what you set out to achieve and how you overcame the obstacles that were in your way. This encourages you to really think in detail what could get in the way and how you will deal with it for when that happens.

Energise

Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter came up with what is now known as ‘Kanter’s Law’ when it comes to change: In the middle, everything looks like a failure.

How do we keep ourselves energised to keep going when we’re stuck in the middle and it’s too far to go back and the finish line looks a million miles away?

Having the courage to keep going is the hardest part. Reminding ourselves why we are doing what we are doing. We are full of energy at the start of a project and we love the feeling when we’ve finished. But when we find ourselves in the messy middle and things start to feel overwhelming, we need to find a way to keep the energy to keep going in the times that she lost her confidence.

Hughes ends his talk with examples of reminders that athletes use to re-centre their minds in moments of doubt. He also quotes the ‘Paradoxical Commandments’ by Kent Keith which Mother Teresa often used to keep her own levels of courage high so she could keep doing what she was doing.

Courage doesn’t always come naturally. It takes work and practice like everything else. Visualising, catastrophising and keeping ourselves energised can help us all have the courage to make the changes we need to make and get to the finish line.

 

 

 

 

How You Say It – Lessons from Sir Alex Ferguson on Leading

, , , , ,

For me, Sir Alex Ferguson is the godfather of ‘man management’. It’s not just the longevity of managing at the highest level in world football, it’s the consistent success he had throughout his career as a leader.

Tactics, ability to sign great players and being able to watch a football match unfold and know what changes need to be made. These are all some of the attributes that make good football managers. However, communication is what separates the good managers from the great managers.

One of the books I dip in and out of very often is Leading which is co-written by Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Michael Moritz. The book is structured around the key skills that Ferguson values highest. It is aimed at giving the reader lessons in leadership that anyone can apply to their own situation.

The one chapter that I’ve dipped into the most, and used in plenty of my training courses is Chapter 8 -Owning The Message. This is the chapter that is dedicated to speaking, writing and answering questions.

Alex Ferguson had to communicate with a lot of people on a day to day basis as the manager of one of the biggest sporting organisations in the world. Players, coaching staff, owners/directors, media, supporters and the global audience. How was he so successful at communicating?

Despite how hard I’ve looked at this and analysed how complex or profound the answer could be,  it’s actually a little bit anticlimactic in some ways.

Keep it simple.

That’s it. Nothing fancy. Just keep the message that you want to deliver simple and clear to understand.

It’s not rocket science, but as easy as that looks and sounds; keeping it simple takes a hell of a lot of work.

Know your audience

“I got into the habit of imagining that I was in the shoes of the listener. I knew from my own experience as a player what it was like to listen to a manager drone on, especially if it was the day before a game, and you were just raring to get onto the training field and blow off some steam.”

He also explains the importance of keeping his team talks ‘short and punchy’ but still getting his point over. To do this, he had to know exactly what message he wanted to convey and how he would deliver it.

As football became more global, he was dealing with international players from all over the world. Language was a barrier. And if his team talks were being translated then it was essential that messages and meaning weren’t being lost in translation.

Next time you’re  needing to explain something to someone, imagine how you would say it to a translator for them to explain your words to another person.

Despite playing at the top level of competition in the world with some of the best players on the planet. Sometimes the simple messages were the most effective and easiest to understand:

“The instructions i gave most frequently were very short. They were nothing more complicated than ‘Keep the ball’ or ‘Do not let them score’”.

Know what you want to say

“You need to know what you want to say; you have to contemplate how you are going to deliver the message; and you have to maintain control of the audience.”

Preparation is so important when planning on delivering a message. Ferguson was always aware of not wanting to deliver a ‘sermon’ that the players had possibly heard him say in the past. He would find new ways to get a message across to emphasise his point.

He explains how he used the Canadian Geese in their flying formation as an example of team work. On one occasion he told a story of his recent trip to his first live performance of a classical music concert. He described to the players how the conductor wanted the same things from the musicians as Ferguson wanted from them: control, harmony, tempo, timing and rhythm.

He planned this conversation and took the time to work out how he would deliver his message using the metaphor.

Alex Ferguson calls this ‘maintaining control of the audience’. For me this is creating engagement. Making sure that he was never repeating himself to agonise over the same old points with players and always thinking of new ways to get his message over.

“Whether the audience is one person or 75,000, you need to assemble your thoughts, know what you want to emphasise and just say it.”

How you say it

“One message that seemed to strike home (at least judging by the number of players who appear to have remembered it) were the words i used at the half-time during the 1999 Champions League final when we were trailing Bayern Munich 1-0. I said’ ‘When that cup is going to be presented, just remember that you can’t even touch it if you’re the losers – you’ll be walking past it with your losers’ medals, knowing someone walking behind you is going to lift the Cup.’”

Alex Ferguson had a reputation for being a feisty character. The phrase ‘the hairdryer treatment’ had been coined by pundits to describe what it felt like to face the angry side of the feisty Scotsman. But this persona was often over-played by the media. No one would have lasted the length of time in leadership at the top level if they had only communicated using anger and raised voices.

He knew exactly at what point to deliver his message to his players and how he should do it. In the book, he mentions the power of giving a player positive reinforcement to make them feel better about themselves rather than using negative feedback. He would never tell a player if they were looking tired, even if he could see it. Instead he built them up to feel stronger.

He knew which players would respond positively and which ones wouldn’t to different ways of saying something. He knew when would be the best time to make his remarks more punchy and when saying less got more.

Using the power of silence can be just as powerful.

“Sometimes, after we had a bad result, I would finish what i had to say to the players and then sit down on the bench and say nothing. The subsequent quietness was probably more effective than anything i said.”

Sir Alex Ferguson knew how to get the best out of people. And although he had great players, coaches and a wealth of experience in the game. One of the main reasons for his success is how communicated. He delivered a message of success to players in a rapidly changing environment consistently. This takes huge skills to keep your message relevant over such a long period of time.

But the beauty of what he did is that he kept it simple. Regardless of whether it was a 1 to 1 conversation with an individual or addressing a stadium full of 75,000 people. He never overcomplicated it and always got his message across.

I would strongly recommend buying this book. If you’re like me and don’t have the attention to sit and read a book cover to cover, this book is ideal to dip in and out of for small reminders.